KING BENJAMIN

I'm sad to the point of tears due to the economic situation facing many of our good brothers". There are the words of President Rubén Romeu, of the San Juan Argentina Chimbas Stake, at the beginning of the interview in which he assigned Osvaldo Zanni to develop a plan to alleviate the suffering of the families within the stake. At the time (the year 2000) Brother Zanni was a member of the Stake High Council (Chimbas Stake, San Juan Argentina). He did not have any experience in this type of welfare project, but after much prayer and kicking around some ideas, the King Benjamin Project took shape. The plan, as envisioned, has not been implemented in its entirety.

In the summer of 2002, several ex-missionaries and neighbors began funding some ward and stake efforts to improve self-sufficiency among the Saints in San Juan. These efforts expanded in early 2003 to include providing funding for some micro-enterprise projects. Those involved feel motivated by the words of Joseph Smith, Jr.: "A man filled with the love of God is not content with blessing his family along, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race."

Speaking of the conditions among the Saints in San Juan, Brother Zanni stated: "We are addressing an urgent need which troubles their minds, and does not allow them to focus on their salvation nor on improving their job situation. We have many families that suffer from hunger, we have many brothers with very low paying jobs that we would like to help with clothing and food for their children. This assistance will grant them the peace of mind so that they might go out in search of a better job, or open the door so that they can learn a new trade that will allow them to live with greater dignity."